Barry Douglas, Adam Forshaw and Leif Davis updates as Leeds United embrace coordinated tough summer training plan

BARRY DOUGLAS, Adam Forshaw and Leif Davis are all back training with head of medicine and performance Rob Price admitting Leeds United’s players are heading for a similarly tough and coordinated pre-season to last year.
BACK IN BUSINESS: Leeds United's Barry Douglas.BACK IN BUSINESS: Leeds United's Barry Douglas.
BACK IN BUSINESS: Leeds United's Barry Douglas.

The majority of United’s squad returned to training on Monday yet Douglas had already become quite accustomed to the drive through the Thorp Arch gates this summer.

The left-back ruptured his knee ligaments at the beginning of April and the 29-year-old has been undergoing rehab on the injury throughout the summer with the defender now back training with the rest of the squad.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Forshaw – injured in the play-off semi-final first leg against Derby County – has also returned to Thorp Arch ready to train with his team-mates while teenage defender Davis is also back in the fold following knee surgery.

Welcome clean bills of health for Price who worked wonders with the Whites’ squad during an unprecedented last season in terms of injuries.

As from Monday, the focus at Thorp Arch turned to the six weeks training in pre-season with the rest of United’s players – a select group which includes some of United’s internationals – back at the weekend.

Price says United’s returning players will initially be put back into work gradually but the head of medicine and performance says there is no doubting that the Whites’ squad is in for another strenuous summer in order to once again reach maximum fitness levels for the forthcoming campaign.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The programme we have put in place is very similar to last year’s to get them to the levels that they were able to achieve in the games,” Price told LUTV.

“It’s a really well coordinated plan that they go through over the summer programme but we have got to build them in slowly just to make sure that we don’t overload them in these first few days.”

“There’s lots of monitoring that goes on.

“You will see every day that the players will get monitored on how much they have slept, what the muscle soreness is, how they have perceived the session the day before is, what their rate of perceived exertion is and all this is and all that is taken into account to decide whether they can do more the next day.

“But pre-season is a time of overload as well and to get them to be better you actually have to put more into them.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s no good being too light and too easy with them or else you don’t actually get the benefits.”

Price and company will be hoping those benefits are clearly in evidence come the season opener at Bristol City which takes place in 39 days’ time on Sunday, August 4.

Leeds will take in their first pre-season friendly in just two weeks’ time at York City on Wednesday, July 10 with another away fixture at Guiseley taking place the following night.

The Whites will then fly out for their pre-season tour of Australia the following weekend with Marcelo Bielsa’s men taking on Manchester United at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday, July 17 before ending the tour with a fixture against A-league side Western Sydney Wanderers at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday, July 20.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Leeds are also hoping to arrange one final friendly at Elland Road over the weekend before the season begins.

Six weeks and counting though for some – notably Douglas – the build up to next season was already well under way.

“We’ve seen quite a few of the players already over the summer,” said Price.

“There’s a few who had niggling injuries at the end of last season who have been continuing programmes and have actually been doing rehab.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Barry [Douglas], for instance, has only had a few days off all summer where he’s been continuing his rehab from his knee injury.

“We’ve just done a quick check on everyone just to make sure they’ve not picked anything up while they’ve been away and just ensure they’re in reasonable condition to start the work.”

Providing an update on those players that endured injuries at the end of 2018-19, Price said: “All the ones who were injured at the end of the season have made decent progress over the summer,.

“Barry has been training with the team there this morning, Adam’s back training fully after the injury that he had. You saw Alioski played for Macedonia in the summer.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Leif Davis had some knee surgery, he’s been fully fit over the summer and we’re just catching up with a couple of other ones that we had from the end of last season who had some ongoing issues that we just need to keep on top of.”